the executive phd - cass business school · tias business school is a well-established part of...

www.cass.city.ac.uk/execphd

The Executive PhDBridging the gap between the academic and business worldsTwo leading business schools – one unique doctoral degree


This high-quality Executive PhD places the emphasis on research training and close supervision by senior academics with industry connections and on the development of research with practical workplace applications.

The Executive PhD 02 | 03

Enhance your skillsToday’s business environment is fast moving, competitive and constantly changing. In order to survive and thrive, organisations need to be highly flexible, forward thinking and able to respond quickly to changes in the global market.

That is why two of Europe’s leading business schools, Cass (UK) and TIAS (The Netherlands), have teamed up to provide an exciting new Executive PhD. This prestigious and highly practical academic qualification is aimed at executives working in research and development, knowledge management and innovation.

It inspires you to develop new perspectives and approach change in a unique and innovative way. Offering all the academic rigour of a traditional PhD, it is tailored to the executive audience and aimed at researchers who want a qualification that is highly practical and relevant to the organisation they work for.

Benefit from our unique partnershipThe partnership between Sir John Cass Business School and TIAS Business School means that you can benefit from their combined expertise in business and research specialties. These include finance, management, accounting, actuarial science and economics. In addition, the partnership offers access to first class, modern teaching facilities in the City of London and Tilburg, together with extensive global business and alumni networks.

Busy executives can study this part-time PhD over four years. You will explore a wide range of subjects, including the latest scientific insights and theoretical frameworks and practical applications, all set in a truly international context.

The Executive PhD comprises ten, five-day, 40-hour resident workshops split between the UK and The Netherlands. You will also be expected to devote time to working on your thesis. The resulting qualification is not just highly prestigious and career enhancing; it offers clear practical benefits to employers and employees alike.

Develop your careerThe Executive PhD is a key career development tool for senior executives working in the public, governmental, not-for-profit and commercial sectors. Recognised as a leader in your field, you will be looking for new opportunities to enhance your skills and academic status.

Because this programme has been developed for the executive market, the PhD thesis can be tailored to the particular focus and specialisms of individuals and the organisational contexts you work in.

Boost your academic statusBy undertaking this programme you will receive academic validation, demonstrate greater value to your organisation and develop career enhancing, transferable knowledge and skills.

Meanwhile, your organisation retains your expertise and benefits from a four-year research study that is tangible, actionable and bespoke to its specific needs and long-term objectives.

A practical doctoral degree for busy executives


More than just a PhDThe Executive PhD fulfils the clear need for a research-based qualification for academically talented individuals who have chosen careers in non-academic organisations.

It is directed towards research that can make an impact on business, professional practice and broader business or society issues. It is a highly practical qualification that enhances the career and skills of the individual, while providing the organisations they work for with valuable research input.

A major benefit to your organisationThe main aim of the programme is to facilitate cutting-edge research that will influence your organisation’s management thought processes, approaches, profitability and insight.

You will also acquire valuable new knowledge and skills that will help support your research through general and subject-specific training courses. And it will give you a valuable opportunity to raise your international profile by publishing your research in peer-reviewed journals and making your mark on the conference circuit.

This unique qualification will appeal to individuals who are at a critical point in their career, by helping them to change course or secure more senior positions. It offers an intellectual platform that is

not normally provided just by the work environment and enables you to develop both your capability and your career.

In order to participate in this programme you will have significant work experience and will have developed the insight and understanding of your sector and organisation to develop an appropriate thesis proposal.

Developing and harnessing research skillsThe programme will help you to develop and reaffirm your research skills and understanding. It will also enhance your ability to communicate and harness the wider benefits of your research findings.

You will graduate with a joint doctorate from Cass Business School, City University London and TIAS Business School, Tilburg University that is recognised worldwide. Both are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Associations of MBAs (AMBA). Cass has additional accreditation from the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).

For wide-ranging professionalsA range of professionals will find the Executive PhD of considerable value, including:

• Finance professionals involved in risk management, control and internal audit in financial institutions

• Managers involved in strategic planning and change management in large organisations

• Investment and actuarial specialists working in technical, theoretical and empirical modelling areas

• Research staff working for regulators such as the International Accounting Standards Board and national banks

• Marketing research managers and other functional managers tasked with analysing and understanding complex proprietary business data

• Professional accountants and lawyers with an interest in cutting-edge technical problems, such as the valuation of derivatives

• Human resource professionals seeking to upgrade their skills

• Policy-makers with interest in researching the business policy environment

• Senior managers and consultants interested in deepening their understanding of international business and global supply chain management.

Facilitating your cutting-edge research


The Executive PhD will support the career development of high-profile, research-orientated business professionals who use research to enhance the understanding of the organisations and processes they manage.


This programme will be attractive to industry professionals and their employers because it combines the practical side of research and industry experience with the academic rigour of a PhD.


A unique degreeThe Executive PhD offers wide-ranging benefits for programme delegates and the organisations that employ them. You gain a prestigious yet practical academic qualification, together with the skills you need to remain at the forefront of your field of expertise. And your over-arching and in-depth view of your research area can help your organisation to develop new and innovative business opportunities.

A number of factors make this doctoral degree unique:

• It is offered on a part-time basis by two of Europe’s leading business schools – Cass and TIAS

• Bringing together two leaders in this field means that you benefit from our combined and wide-ranging expertise

• You get the chance to study in two exciting and highly stimulating environments, in the UK and The Netherlands

• Our intensive, residential training weeks provide a highly focused learning environment

• You receive a degree from both City University London and Tilburg University

• You will also become part of the global alumni of two prestigious and highly regarded business schools.

Increase your expertiseThe Executive PhD programme refreshes and expands your expertise and skills in a number of ways. By the time you have completed your doctorate you will be able to:

• Conduct research as an independent researcher in an academically responsible and rigorous way

• Apply various research methods and choose the most appropriate approach for a particular practical problem

• Gather data in a scientific way and learn how to store and interpret it

• Apply your research to practice

• Present your research findings to your peers and comment on their work

• Write professional academic research papers and discuss research at a higher academic level.

Raise your profileYour Executive PhD will raise your profile in the research community by helping you to have your work published and become a well-regarded speaker on the international research circuit. It will also enable you to consider teaching positions at reputable academic institutions.

But it is not just you who will benefit. Your highly practical, cutting-edge research will make a major contribution to your organisation’s management thinking, reputation, visibility, processes and profitability. It will also help to reinforce its position as an organisation that encourages ground-breaking research and is keen to make a valuable contribution to the sector by sharing new knowledge and good practice.

In addition, each PhD thesis will add valuable new knowledge to the scientific community, provide the starting point for additional research and benefit society as a whole.

Benefits for you and your organisation


Two leading business schoolsThe Executive PhD has been developed by two of Europe’s leading business schools – Cass (UK) and TIAS (The Netherlands) – whose combined business and research specialties include finance, management, accounting, actuarial science and economics.

Other benefits of this exciting partnership include first class modern teaching facilities and learning environments in the City of London and Tilburg, together with extensive global business and alumni networks.

Cass Business School Cass Business School is part of City University London. Its renowned finance, management, actuarial science and insurance faculties comprise more than 100 research-active, world-leading experts, with more than 50% coming from outside the UK. Many of the School’s academics hold impressive credentials and come from strong industry backgrounds.

Academic excellence underpins everything Cass does and the research it publishes in the very best peer-review journals is reflected in its highly ranked degrees and applied to the problems it solves for its business clients. The Research Excellence Framework 2014 rated 84% of Cass Business and Management research within the top two categories of ‘world-leading’ (4-star) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3-star). This places Cass in the top six in the UK and highlights the world-class quality of Cass research. And a recent study published by the European Financial Management Journal ranked Cass third in Europe for finance research.

Professor Bobby Banerjee, Joint Programme Director says: “Cass Business School is delighted to be working with TIAS Business School to offer this unique and innovative Executive PhD. We believe that our joint expertise will be of great benefit to the delegates who undertake this exciting new qualification and provide great benefits to the organisations they work for. It will also benefit the wider research community by encouraging academic research with a highly practical application in today’s fast moving global business environment.”

TIAS Business SchoolTIAS Business School is a well-established part of Tilburg University and Eindhoven University of Technology and enjoys excellent international standing. It is the third most prestigious business school in the Benelux. It has a particularly strong research reputation in accounting, finance, economics and management.

TIAS Business School’s motto is ‘Never stop asking’ and this is reflected in its programmes, which are rooted in leading management research and designed to address the specific educational needs of individuals and organisations in the evolving world of business.

Joint Programme Director Professor Chris de Neubourg says: “The Executive PhD is a unique programme that allows participants to tackle a practical problem by using and developing state-of-the-art academic knowledge. The quality of the programme is anchored and guaranteed by a line-up of supervisors and teachers who entertain the highest standards of academic research and the ways this research can be disseminated into practice. By entering this programme, participants make a true investment in themselves and in their organisations.”

Bringing together two first class business schools

Cass Business School

TIAS School for Business and Society


Cass and TIAS share a research ethos that makes these two leading business schools a natural fit in terms of their emphasis on internationally excellent and impactful research.


Delegates will attend residential courses in London and The Netherlands, providing them with a unique opportunity to study with highly qualified research and business professionals from both countries.


Executive PhD programme overviewThe Executive PhD is a four-year, part-time degree programme, with a thesis presentation in year four. It comprises ten, 40-hour residential weeks, divided between the UK and The Netherlands, with additional private study.

Year 1 (four weeks)Week 1: introductions and set up, research methodology, managing research projects, theory and practice of statistics and economics, experimental methods, qualitative research methods, databases, students papers and proposals (presentations).

Week 2: theory and practice of statistics and economics, qualitative research methods, databases and subject training in accounting, economics and finance and management.

Weeks 3 and 4: as above with added student paper and proposals (presentations).

Year 2 (two weeks)Week 5: reading, writing and presenting, subject training in accounting, economics and finance and management, student papers and proposals (presentations) and group work and supervisor meetings.

Week 6: subject training in accounting, economics and finance and management, student papers and proposals (presentations) and group work and supervisor meetings.

Year 3 (two weeks)Week 7: reading, writing and presenting, subject training in accounting, economics and finance and management, student papers and proposals (presentations) and group work and supervisor meetings.

Week 8: subject training in accounting, economics and finance and management, student papers and proposals (presentations) and group work and supervisor meetings.

Year 4 (two weeks)Week 9: subject training in accounting, economics and finance and management, student papers and proposals (presentations) and group work and supervisor meetings.

Week 10: student papers and proposals (presentations), group work and supervisor meetings.

Thesis presentation and defenceYou will present your thesis at the end of year four following approval by the supervisory team. After being questioned about its academic content you will be invited to defend your thesis. Once this process has been successfully completed you will receive your doctoral degree.

Indicative list of research topicsThese include:

• Asset pricing in art markets

• Trading strategies for commodities

• Risk management in the energy sector

• Innovation strategy in start-up firms

• Real estate valuation methods

• Initial public offering failure risk

• Relevance of accounting information in the stock market bubble

• Retail adoption for new brands of non-durable goods

• Private label proliferation.

Outlining the programme structure

Because the Executive PhD is a joint programme, you will benefit from the wide-ranging expertise of lecturers from two leading European business schools. And as the faculty base is larger and more international than with a traditional PhD, you will also have a greater choice of supervisors.

Cass (UK)Dr Bobby Banerjee, Professor of Management Joint Programme Director

FacultyDr Charles Baden-Fuller, Centenary Professor of Strategy

Dr Fleura Bardhi, Professor of Marketing

Dr Thorsten Beck, Professor of Banking

Dr Ajay Bhalla, Professor of Global Innovation Management

Dr Jean-Pascal Gond, Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility

Dr Steven Haberman, Professor of Actuarial Science

Dr Vladimir Kaishev, Professor of Actuarial Science

Dr Vince Mitchell, Professor of Consumer Marketing

Dr Jens Perchen Nielsen, Professor of Actuarial Science

Dr Richard Payne, Professor of Finance

Dr Davide Ravasi, Professor in Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management

Dr Maik Schmeling, Reader in Finance

Dr Jo Silvester, Professor of Psychology

Dr Mohan Sodhi, Professor of Supply Chain Management

Dr Vangelis Souitaris, Professor of Entrepreneurship

Dr Andre Spicer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour

TIAS (The Netherlands)Dr Chris de Neubourg, Professor of Public Policy Analysis and Management

Joint Programme Director

FacultyDr Jalal Ashayeri, Professor of Quantitative Supply Chain Management

Dr Roger Bougie, Associate Professor of Business Research Methods

Dr Geert Duijsters, Professor of Entrepreneurship

Dr Herbert Hamers, Professor of Game Theory and Operations Research

Dr Philip Joos, Professor of Financial Accounting

Dr Ronald Mahieu, Professor of Finance and Innovation

Dr Rachel Pownall, Associate Professor of Finance

Dr Luc Renneboog, Professor of Corporate Finance

Dr Frans de Roon, Professor of Investment Theory

Dr Anne-Francoise Rutkowski, Associate Professor of Information Systems and Psychology

Dr Arjen van Witteloostuijn, Professor of Organisation and Strategy

Meeting the combined faculty


Bringing together Cass and TIAS provides programme delegates with access to a larger pool of faculty members with the experience and external credibility to engage in global business issues.



Programme duration Four years (part-time)

Cost £65,000, excluding accommodation and travel

Candidate requirements Participants will normally hold an excellent MSc, MBA or equivalent business-related degree with a minimum of five years managerial experience and must be able to make a credible time commitment to independent study, in addition to attending the training weeks.

Personal qualities The Executive PhD will appeal to people who seek new insights in order to get ahead in their profession. You will be a critical thinker and keen to present and defend your point of view. Above all you will be inquisitive. Nothing will stop you from asking questions.

Time commitment Ten five-day, 40-hour residential training weeks, held from Monday to Friday. Four training weeks are held in year one and two in each of years two, three and four. Delegates will also be expected to carry out considerable independent study and finalise their thesis on their chosen research area in year four.

Location Half of the training weeks will be held at Cass Business School in London, UK, and half will be held at TIAS Business School, in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Faculty The Executive PhD is delivered by a highly experienced faculty team led by the Programme Directors Professor Bobby Banerjee and Professor Chris de Neubourg.

Language English

Travel and accommodationCass Business School is located in the City of London and is well served by local underground stations and bus routes. It is also easily reached by delegates flying into London airports or travelling on the Eurostar. London offers a wide range of hotels to suit every budget.

There are good train links between the TIAS Business School Tilburg campus and Eindhoven airport (40 minutes), Rotterdam airport (50 minutes) and Amsterdam Schiphol airport (90 minutes). The business school has negotiated special rates with local hotels.

More information Jane Abington Executive PhD Course Officer E: [email protected] T: +44 (0)20 7040 5030 www.cass.city.ac.uk/execphd

Please see the website for the latest information on dates and fees: www.cass.city.ac.uk/execphd

Key features of the Executive PhD

Cass Business SchoolExecutive PhD106 Bunhill RowLondon EC1Y 8TZT: +44 (0)20 7040 5030E: [email protected]/execphd

Cass Business SchoolIn 2002, City University’s Business School was renamed Sir John Cass Business School following a generous donation towards the development of its new building in Bunhill Row. The School’s name is usually abbreviated to Cass Business School.

Sir John Cass’s Foundation Sir John Cass’s Foundation has supported education in London since the 18th century and takes its name from its founder, Sir John Cass, who established a school in Aldgate in 1710. Born in the City of London in 1661, Sir John served as an MP for the City and was knighted in 1713.

the executive phd - cass business school · tias business school is a well-established part of...

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